SIGGRAPH Asia welcomed Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo as its guest of honour as he officially declared the 15th edition of the trade conference and exhibition open in Daegu. Conference chair professor Soon Ki Jung also thanked each member of his committee and respective program chairs who have collaborated and set the stage for four days of highly inspired work in the fields of computer graphics, animation and emerging technologies.
Here are the key highlights of SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 day two:
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
SIGGRAPH Asia’s first keynote speaker, Renault chief scientific officer Dr. Luc Julia opened up the conversation on artificial intelligence. Delivering his talk on There is no such thing as Artificial Intelligence, to a packed auditorium, he presented a compelling argument on the fundamental need for technological advancement but also our need to recognise the limitations of AI. We all know that computers have beaten world chess champions. But can a smart, self-driving car, programmed to follow the tiniest road safety rules navigate through the chaos of the busiest roads – the answer is a resounding no.
EXPERIENCE HALL (ART GALLERY / EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES EXTENDED REALITY, XR)
The future of 3D teleconferencing, robot sports training and solutions faced by critical industries such as healthcare were on display at the SIGGRAPH Asia exhibition hall. Visitors at the experience hall which features the art gallery, emerging technologies and extended reality (XR) were given a rare opportunity to experiment with wearable and immersive technologies designed by leading researchers, developers and designers, still in development stages, and yet to be rolled out in the market.
EXHIBITION HALL
The first day of SIGGRAPH Asia’s trade exhibition saw 50 international and local exhibitors showcasing their finest innovative solutions. Global technology disruptors and powerhouse giants exhibitors include Adobe System, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Amazon Web Services (AWS), AutoDesk Korea, CLO Virtual Fashion (Marvelous Designer), Daegu Pavilion, Dexter Studios, Foundry, IO Industries, Rotomaker, Seoul Robotics, and more.
Business professionals, students, researchers, and lecturers explored disruptive technologies such as VR gamification, advanced animator screen suit showcase as well as holographic VR technology. The exhibition will take place until this Friday.
FEATURED SESSIONS
Oni: Thunder God’s Tale, presented by Jeffrey Dilinger and Christophe Rodo from Megalis VFX. In 2018, Megalis VFX, with a small team of people, 15 to be exact, in a small office in Tokyo, Japan were given a herculean project by Tonko House, the powerhouse production company behind the Oscar-nominated film The Dam Keeper, to manage the entire CGI work of Oni: Thunder God’s Tale, an animated series for Netflix.
The global pandemic and subsequent international border closures prevented the international team from coming together to work on the project. The result is awe-inspiring – a team of passionate designers, artists and animators driven to produce their greatest work of art by working virtually and pushing innovation for ground-breaking work.
Bringing Yumi’s Cells to Life, presented by LOCUS
Producer Gahyun Cha, director Dahee Kim, CG supervisor Kiyoung Eom and concept artist Yeonok Baek shared invaluable insight into the making of hit webtoon Yumi’s Cells. Korea’s first live-action/3D hybrid series, where the animated world of the cells blends with performances of actors created by Locus Animation shared honest, artistic and technical challenges faced during production and disruptive solutions that had to be designed to create the meticulously potted out characters and world of Yumi’s Cells cutting-edge animation.
EXHIBITOR TALKS
AMD: the performance powerhouse of workstations/Dexter Studio case study: Establishment of Virtual Studio, and VFX digital artworks powered by AMD, presented by AMD + Dexter Studios.
AMD has revolutionised the creative industry and taken the production of digital artwork to a new level with their virtual studio and VFX – enabling innovative solutions to accelerate creativity, collaboration and content delivery. In this session, users like Dexter Studio shared how AMD’s technology has allowed filmmakers and artists alike to create vibrant, realistic digital artworks that once seemed unimaginable. From larger scale productions to individual creative projects, AMD’s industry-leading technology makes it easier than ever before for creators everywhere to bring their imaginations to life with unparalleled precision.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Women in Computer Graphics
According to the findings by Women in Animation, 60-70 per cent of animation students are women however only 20-30 per cent of the creative jobs are held by women. Diverse voices are needed to change the narrative and yet the acute underrepresentation of women in computer graphics remains a barrier for progress.
At the inspiring session by female academics, artists, researchers and experts in fields of computer animation and technology advocated for institutional change. The industry, according to the panel, has male domination in all powerful positions. The panel included Shoko Kimura from The University of Tokyo Nagoya Institute of Technology; Powerhouse Museum research manager Deborah Lawler-Dormer; Jinny Choo from Korea National University of Arts and Yonghui Kim from Hongik University and Hyunjin LeeYonsei University.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSIONS: INDUSTRY PANEL AT SIGGRAPH ASIA 2022
Ensuring the presence of diversity, inclusivity and equality in any workplace or organisation is essential for its success. Creating a diverse workplace encourages new ideas and opens up channels of communication. Panellist; Queen Denchukwu from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Maggie Oh from Google INC and professor Simon See from NVIDIA Research, took turns to share their perspectives on the topic. Towards the end of the session, attendees engaged in polarising conversations with the panellists on fostering a supportive team dynamic, providing an elevated level of job satisfaction for all employees.
Computer Animation Festival (CAF) chair Dan Sarto, shared that, “Seismic technological innovation in animation is moving our industry to greater heights. We saw the extraordinary rise of virtual creative collaboration during the pandemic, and how artists, technologists, and researchers were able to build sophisticated, cloud-based production pipelines, working with colleagues from around the world, exemplified by the impressive selection of animation in this year’s festival. There’s never been a more exciting moment to be in this business, collaborate and push boundaries with cutting-edge animation. SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 is a unique chance to be at the centre of it all.”